Next-gen Volvo XC90 (Hybrid) likely to be an extensive facelift [Update]

Update: ‘Design & Platform’ section updated.

The next-generation Volvo XC90 may not be the all-new vehicle fans have been waiting for. Rumors about a third-generation model have been swirling for about two years, but the automaker may unveil an improved version of the second-gen model with changes mainly to the styling and interior. Note that we’re speaking about the future of the combustion-powered XC90, and not the all-electric EX90.

In an interview with Autocar in July 2022, Lex Kerssemakers, Senior Advisor – Group Management Team, Volvo Cars, said that when the company introduced the second-gen XC90, it wanted to increase its annual new vehicle sales from around 450,000 units to 800,000 units. The company is close to that goal, selling around 700,000 vehicles annually. In this context, the XC90 is a hugely important car for the company, accounting for a sizeable proportion of its sales and profits. In 2022, it was Volvo’s third best-selling model with 97,130 units sold.

Here’s our expectation from the new XC90, which we expect to be revealed next year.

Design & Platform

The last major redesign of the Volvo XC90 occurred in August 2014. While one would expect a comprehensive update after almost a decade, the Swedes could retain the basic design, opting to update the styling.

The render below is TopElectricSUV’s interpretation of what the next-generation XC90 might look like. It carries revisions such as a new upper grille, a taller lower air intake, new Thor’s Hammer HD LED headlights in which the DRL light mechanically opens up to reveal the main light units, new, vertically stacked LED fog lamps located below the headlamps, a sportier front bumper, and new, five-spoke spoke alloy wheels, and reskinned door panels that modernizes the look.

The new headlights of the new XC90 may come from ZKW Group, a premium automotive lighting company owned by LG and based in Austria. The same company makes the headlights of the EX90 and the Polestar 3. Like the headlights of those electric SUVs, the new XC90 may have 1.3-megapixel modules.

Hakan Samuelsson, the former President and CEO of Volvo Cars, had hinted that the XC90 will get a second facelift following the first refresh in 2019. Volvo will not need a facelift if an all-new third-gen XC90 is in the pipeline as previously assumed. Samuelsson said that the company would “look into upgrading” the second-gen XC90 so that “it looks a bit better,” Automotive News Europe reported on February 15, 2022. The former company chief had said that demand for hybrid models still exists, especially in the U.S. and China.

Also Read: Lynk & Co 09 (Volvo XC90’s cousin) on sale in China

Electrified Engines

From a report teknikensvarld.se published in June 2020, we learned that Volvo would offer the new XC90 in “B” mild-hybrid and “T” plug-in hybrid variants. This lineup is no different from what is available today, and supported by the visual updates, the current vehicle should serve as the classic alternative to the new flagship electric vehicle, the EX90.

Improved PHEV powertrain

Volvo Cars brought a significant technical revision to the XC90 Recharge with the MY2022 update, well ahead of the redesign. The company updated the SUV’s plug-in hybrid system to produce more power.

Volvo Cars changed the XC90 Recharge’s 2.0-liter from a supercharged and turbocharged unit to a 2.0-liter turbocharged unit and switched to a more powerful electric motor. This upgrade increased the system power and system torque by 55 hp to 455 hp, and by 51 lb.-ft. to 523 lb.-ft, respectively. The company replaced the battery pack, too, swapping out the 11.6 kWh lithium-ion battery pack with an 18.6 kWh unit.

As a result of the various revisions, the XC90 Recharge’s EPA-est. range doubled from 18 miles to 36 miles, EPA-est. total driving range increased from 520 miles to 530 miles, and EPA-est. energy consumption reduced from 58 kWh/100 mi to 49 kWh/100 mi. It’s logical to expect the XC90 to make further gains with next year’s facelift.

New Volvo XC90 Release Date

Refreshed in February 2019, the XC90 is the oldest SUV in the company’s line-up. We’re expecting Volvo Cars to launch the restyled XC90 in the U.S. next year, as the MY2025 series.

The XC90 is a core product for Volvo Cars in the U.S., which, in turn, is one of the biggest markets for the model worldwide. As of August 2023, global year-to-date sales of the XC90 stand at 68,477 units, up 6.4% from the same period in 2022 (January-August 2022: 64,355 units). In the U.S., 25,197 XC90s were delivered during this period, 9.5% more than in the same months in 2022 (January-August 2022: 23,008 units).

MY2024 XC90 Recharge for the U.S. released as a carryover model

Volvo Cars has given the XC90 a regular update and brought it forward to the 2024 model year. Multiple dealers have listed the 2024 Volvo XC90 online, featuring no apparent design changes. We’ve seen it in stock at Maplewood, Missouri-based Volvo Cars Of Saint Louis, Ann Arbor, Michigan-based Sesi Volvo Cars, Evansville, Indiana-based Volvo Cars of Evansville, Alpharetta, Georgia-based North Point Volvo Cars, and several other dealerships.

EX90: The XC90’s pure-electric alternative

Volvo Cars has unveiled a new model called ‘Volvo EX90‘ as a pure-electric alternative to the XC90, which will reach U.S. dealers next year. The company has adopted a dual-platform strategy. It has developed the ‘SPA2’ with two unique floor assemblies, one for the hybrid models like the XC90 that partially run on fossil fuel and one for the fully-electric models.

Henrik Green, Chief Technology Officer, Volvo Cars, talked about the SPA2 platform with Green Car Reports in March 2021. Green said Volvo plans to manufacture the floors in parallel on separate lines, but for the ICE, it may be the current platform (SPA1) integrating a few improvements.

One floor is built around the flat battery with an e-machine in front and rear, very much the skateboard approach that you see pure electric vehicles are built on today. And there is another floor which is completely different, built with a combustion engine in the front, the prop shaft, an exhaust system, a fuel tank in the rear.

Henrik Green, Chief Technology Officer, Volvo Cars

Volvo Recharge models gain popularity worldwide

Volvo Cars says that the demand for plug-in hybrid electric vehicles and pure electric vehicles, which it markets as Recharge models, is rising. In 2022, Volvo Cars sold 205,352 Recharge vehicles worldwide, compared to 189,216 cars in 2021, marking a growth of 8.5 percent. The share of pure-electric models in Recharge sales increased by a whopping 159.5%, from 25,727 units (2021) to 66,749 units (2022).

In the first half of 2023, Recharge vehicles contributed to 40% of Volvo Cars’ global sales (341,700 units) and totaled 136,400 units. 40% of these Recharge vehicles were BEVs.

TopElectricSUV says

Despite a clear push toward electric vehicles, Volvo knows that gas-electric vehicles are still profitable and popular models, and has worked for years to achieve its current status. With many countries behind the curve on EV adoption, and question marks hanging over the state of the charging infrastructure in the U.S., electrified SUVs have a big part to play this decade as a bridge for customers who are reluctant to go fully-electric.

The Volvo XC90 should continue being popular with luxury family SUV buyers who seek high value for money, unmatched safety, and a true Scandinavian design. In particular, the XC90 PHEV will help ease customers into transitioning to the EX90.

New Volvo XC90 FAQs

Featured image: TopElectricSUV’s rendition of a refreshed XC90 with the latest design cues.